Chapter 830, Navy Deputy

On January 24, there was an ice rain in the Jianghuai area.

In the past, major Chinese newspapers were publishing news about the Qingdao War and the National Congress, and these two major events have become the hottest topics this winter. The Nanjing government released the news that even if civil servants cancel this traditional festival, the Spring Festival, the National Congress must be held first.

There are many different opinions among the people. After talking about the Qingdao War, they talked about the National Congress. Although many people are still unfamiliar with the National Congress, their only perception is that the President's Congress was born from the National Congress, but everyone thinks this is obvious. In addition to Wu Shaoting, the current Grand Consul, who else is qualified to serve as the President? Wu Shaoting not only safeguarded national sovereignty and defeated the invaders, but also proposed many policies that benefit the country and the people in the National Progressive Council party he represented. This is the leader that the Republic of China really needs.

However, from this day on, the Republic of China Times, the largest circulation in Nanjing, suddenly published the Japanese atrocities during the Qingdao War. The front page is a British journalist's personal experience at the Yantai Civil Affairs Office half a month ago. It describes in detail the *** soldiers shooting at civilians and throwing grenades, and also highlights the situation of civil affairs officials being chopped when protesting to the Japanese army. Along with this article, there are several black and white photos, including post-war on-site investigation, the bodies of victims, and the bodies of civil affairs officials with broken hands and feet.

Although some educated people know that the Republic of China Times is controlled by the Nanjing Government Information Department, the descriptions of foreign journalists and photos that are true can be seen by just a glance and you will know that this is a fact report.

In this way, the hatred of Japan suddenly broke out again, and even the ice and rainy weather could not stop the burning of this anger. Whether it is a figure in the political arena, a celebrity in the cultural circle, or a student still in school, everyone cannot tolerate the crimes committed by *** in China, especially as a victorious country!

The students took the first step to take action. They braved the cold freezing rain and ran on the streets and alleys, performing dramas, distributing leaflets, organizing gatherings and parades, and exaggerating the atrocities committed by the soldiers in Shandong one by one. Of course, it is inevitable that they will be mixed with personal emotions, and more or less exaggerating the actual situation. The school arranged the drama overnight and directly built the stage in a small square outside the Nanjing Embassy District. Upon hearing the news, onlookers directly blocked the streets of the Embassy District. As for the students' gatherings, parades, speeches, etc., they were all around the embassy district. Not only were Chinese people watching, but many foreigners curiously came over to watch with umbrellas.

The freezing rain was drizzling, but it could not stop the students' indignation at all.

"Severely punish the murderers of war and severely punish the crimes of ignoring humanitarianism!"

"The small Japanese pirates are no longer tolerant of their offenses in our country. Now these Japanese pirates are still committing atrocities on our territory. Is it really unbearable!"

"Comrades, compatriots! You must all awaken. Under the leadership of the great consul Wu Shaoting, the Republic of China, is no longer a weak country in the past. The people of the *** are defeated countries. As Chinese, we should be justified in asking for an explanation! No, it is not just an explanation, but they have to pay back twice!"

"Despicable and abominable little ***, from today on, no one will buy *** goods anymore!"

"Yes, boycott Japanese goods!"

Every roar was full of explosiveness, and the Chinese people around him responded excitedly. Although this was just the outskirts of the embassy area, several demonstrations and protests had already formed a resonance in the dark, and the angry voices of the Chinese had already shrouded over all embassies.

***The Embassy and the British Embassy jointly sent a notice to the Nanjing Presidential Palace, and asked Nanjing to immediately evacuate the protest groups outside the periphery based on the security of the embassy area. After receiving the news, the Nanjing Presidential Palace was just polite for diplomatic etiquette, and then sent the task to the local police station as usual.

The local police department got some hints from the Presidential Palace Secretariat, so calmly sent two mount police officers to the scene to observe. The mount police officers walked around and found that all the demonstrations and protests did not directly enter the embassy area. Even though it caused traffic congestion outside the embassy area, it did not violate any diplomatic regulations. In the end, the mount police officers even exempted the report and watched the students' activities directly.

The students' activities quickly led to a more intense anti-Japanese sentiment, and this sentiment was like an infectious disease. It spread from Nanjing and quickly spread across the country. Especially the people of the Shandong Peninsula, they experienced this war personally, and no one knew better than them. Local students, scholars, newspaper staff and even government staff in Shandong organized protests spontaneously. Near the military bases of Laiyang, Yantai, Jiaozhou and even Weifang, the facts they witnessed or experienced with their own eyes were written on the white cloth in red. Three or five people held the white cloth together, and stood there silently.

On January 26, the frozen rain in Nanjing not only did not weaken due to the rising hatred of the Chinese people, but it seemed to be expressing dissatisfaction, but it was getting heavier and heavier. In the early morning, the frozen rain was mixed with many ice particles, but this still could not stop the anger that penetrated into the national nature.

At noon, in the Nanjing Presidential Palace, the Secretariat had just submitted the detailed procedures for the National Assembly to Wu Shaoting's desk. Wu Shaoting took a brief look and did not care too much about these procedures for reading the script. Then he continued to process the documents on the resettlement of the Beijing Base Camp and the Second Fleet warship.

Although the Ministry of National Defense and Navy has been established, the Navy has not yet appointed the Minister of Navy. Before, Wu Shaoting had fully handed over the Navy to the Navy when he was in Beijing to handle the matter. Of course, the Navy cannot ignore Wu Shaoting's intentions, so he decided that after the National Assembly, the election of the official president was settled, and then the candidate for the first Minister of Navy was decided.

However, in order to handle naval affairs more efficiently, in December last year, Wu Shaoting specially appointed Shanghai Fleet Commander Cheng Biguang as the adjutant of the Navy, staying at the Presidential Office to handle some exchanges between the Presidential Office and the Navy Department. The Shanghai Fleet was fully represented by Deputy Commander Gao Guangzheng.

In the second captive fleet resettlement plan proposed by the Provisional Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Navy, the Navy intends to revive the "Beiyang Fleet", so it loses the three captured battleships and several other large cruisers as the main force, and lays naval base facilities in the waters from Tianjin to Qingdao. As for the naval personnel operating large ships, experienced personnel can be drawn from the active fleet, or German naval consultants can be hired to personally teach interns on the warships.

"Beiyang Fleet?" Wu Shaoting looked at the report in his hand and muttered to himself.

"Oh, that's right. According to the draft naval plan proposed by Wu Zhizheng before, the entire Chinese navy will be organized into three naval numbers, the Beiyang Fleet, the Yangtze River Fleet and the Nanyang Fleet. The Beiyang Fleet here is officially handled according to Wu Zhizheng's wish." Cheng Biguang, who was sitting opposite the president's desk, looked at Wu Shaoting's puzzled look and immediately explained.

"So that's it." Wu Shaoting nodded slowly. During this period, he was a little busy and forgot most of what he said in Beijing. "I just looked at the training of the New Beiyang Fleet. This is much longer than I expected. Lord Cheng, you are a navy senior and have experience in the construction of the navy and the surrounding environment of the Beiyang waters. If we cannot complete the establishment of the New Beiyang Navy in a short time, we are afraid that once the *** Navy is restored, they will soon be able to take revenge. Although this is just a unilateral guess, we still cannot be taken lightly."

"This matter has been discussed in the Ministry, so it is proposed to build naval fortifications in Tianjin and Qingdao. If an emergency occurs, the fleet can be transferred to Jiaozhou Bay in time. Using the shore defense artillery of Qingdao Fortress and cooperating with the naval forces of China and Germany, it will be difficult to fight head-on. Not only that, the reason why we also opened a naval base in Tianjin is to tell the great powers that the Republic of China has the ability to safeguard its maritime power and announce to them that the Republic of China is truly rising." Cheng Biguang made this explanation with a solemn expression.

"Well..." Wu Shaoting fell into a deep thought. He knew the great significance of Tianjin's waters to the Republic of China. Since the Gengzi National Damage, Tianjin, as the gateway to the capital, has long become a public waters where great powers warships and oil tankers can enter and exit, which means that the Chinese central government has been eyeing the great powers. Tianjin has not only become a concession for the great powers, but also lost the dignity of the gateway to the capital. Re-establishing a naval base in Tianjin and strengthening its rule over the territorial waters, even if it is just a symbolic meaning, will also give a solemn declaration to the domestic and international.

Cheng Biguang was waiting for Wu Shaoting's answer. At first, he was very confident that he would agree easily with what Wu Shaoting did during this period. However, until now, he saw that the other party was silent for a while and still didn't speak, he couldn't help but feel a little strange.

Taking a breath slowly, Wu Shaoting finally spoke, "Since that's the case, then do it according to the intention of the Admiralty. Even if all expenses are included in the budget of the Ministry of National Defense, I will try my best to promote these budgets after the National Assembly ends."
Chapter completed!